I buy poultry mix as I need it, and fill the feeder barrels straight away.
Egg shells for extra calcium sit in a tray or bowl to dry off, then I keep them in a calico bag and crush them up before scattering them on a spot in the garden. They eat it when they need it.
I'm changing from straw...
Earlier today I suspected that one of my hens is approaching broodiness!
I built a 'Broody Box' but I don't know if the mesh floor is 'close' enough for a hen to stand while eating and drinking. The floor is meant to be quite open so she is reluctant to pancake herself on it, and roost on the...
I am in late Autumn and I suspect I might have another broody hen on my hands! My Leghorn cross Chamomile was fixed in her nest for a while and broodily screeching at other hens that came near her. However one of them managed to shoo her out of the nest! I checked on her this evening and she was...
Wow!
What size of yard did you have them in?
I only heard of Bresse chickens once, in chef Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection where he sought to make his perfect Roast Chicken, and chose Bresse meat birds. He visited a poultry farm in France that raised Bresse, and they had a flock...
During the "pre-broody" stage, the hen will do those behaviours you said, but is also eating a lot to build a store of fat to last her the broody period. So she still could be laying eggs.
It is not until a certain (and unknown to me) level of prolactin hormone has been reached, that makes her...
Bresse! Wow! Where did you get them from?
I've heard that Bresse chickens are some of the best in France for meat birds, so you would get a great roast dinner from that one on the cull list. I am sorry to read that she is not a good mother.
I mostly have egg production breed hens and they all...
Give her a few weeks to build up her nourishment again before she starts laying.
Back in March I let my broody hen sit for the 21 days, but then gave her two baby chicks to raise (and A LOT of food to eat). She raised them for a month, then about a week after resumed laying eggs. She's going well.
I have a production breed hen who has gone broody three times since she was 6 months old (she is coming up to 2 years old by October this year). She's been a very good mother too when I either gave her fertile eggs to hatch, or newly hatched chicks.
But I have made a Broody Box to be ready for...
Would it work to put two broody hens together into the same broody breaker box/jail? [EDIT: I just saw Ridgerunner's comment.]
I just built my own 'Broody Box' and it is bigger than a wire dog crate. It could easily fit two broody hens.
I've had a broody mama raise some chicks and is now back...
I tried separating the bully but that didn't stop the bullying. I caught her attacking the victim and disciplined her. Splashing her with water from the hose is a good method.
Now the ex-bully and ex-victim are best friends - they often sun-bathe next to each other and roost next to each other...
I live in a semi-arid area, where it is very dry for most of the year. Before I had chooks, my yards were a dry barren wasteland throughout most of the year. Then when the rain did hit, lots of weeds would shoot up. So at first it was a big battle getting rid of them. I have to still keep a look...
I need to do a lot of things:
Set up the compost bin, either using a series of 60L bins or a 1,000 pod tank with the top cut off
Get worms for the compost (every time I go to the hardware store, the worms have sold out)
Get rid of a big patch of weeds before it becomes a favoured nest for...
Does anyone know where black Australorp chicks are available in Western Australia? Seems an odd question to ask given it is an Australian breed from what I understand. But I am yet to see any places where I can buy them direct.
Aha! Thank you very much!
I have seen pictures online of chickens that to me looked like Light Sussex, but were labelled as Brahma. I also saw comments on social media platforms where one person said the chickens were Light Sussex, but was retorted with that they are Brahmas. Nothing was said...
Thank you!
My chooks did settle down later in the night. It just concerns me when I am there as they go to roost but it's always mayhem! I can hear it from inside the house sometimes!